Patricia “Patty” Madera was a gentle giant standing 5’10” who always worried about the little person. She once asked the wife of a friend what she would do with an extra dollar. The wife replied, “Buy a Coke.” Patty said “Why not buy a hamburger and give it to a homeless person?” Patty was a bleeding heart in the best sense.

Patty was also a graceful lady who loved fashion, thrift store shopping and organizing clutter, especially for others. She was a favorite aunt and the big sister her nieces never had. “She was interested in getting our family to be closer, so she started the tradition of tea parties with my cousins,” remembered her niece, Sandra Madera. “All of us girl cousins in our early 20’s would get together with our Aunt Patty, who was about 30, dress up with fancy hats and gloves, and drink tea and talk for hours on end. I still thought she was the coolest grown up I knew.”

Patty could make children and adults alike feel like the most important person in the room by the attention and time she would devote to anyone who needed a play pal or simply an ear. “To be with someone with such confidence, such kindness—and drop-dead gorgeous to top it off—made me feel complete,” said her husband, Larry Waldie.

In 2003, 35-year-old Patty was pregnant with terrible morning sickness that lasted weeks. One day, she was rushed to the hospital with seizures and later transported to UCLA in critical condition with several blood clots in her brain. Her brain continued to swell and slowly died as her husband and family members watched helplessly. Two weeks later, on May 7, 2003, she was declared brain dead. Her three-month-old baby could not survive the trauma. The OneLegacy representative who approached the family about donation was very patient and answered all of their questions. Patty saved five lives through organ donation.

“I had never thought about organ donation before this tragedy. But when the time came, I knew in an instant what Patty would say,” Larry said. “In life, Patty would give the shirt off her back to a stranger. Therefore, I knew she would be happy to hear she gave others another chance at life. “It’s hard not feel angry that Patty had to die in order to give others life. But knowing that she is a true hero and that she allowed someone’s children to have their daddy a little bit longer (Patty’s parents were both taken from her by age six) makes me extremely proud of Patty, and honored to be her husband.”

Patty’s death and donation also had a tremendous effect on her niece, Sandra, who delivered the eulogy at Patty’s funeral. “It was my message to the hundreds of people in attendance that we had to let Patty’s death affect us,” Sandra said. “She died so young, and we all have to realize that there are no guarantees in life. We must set our goals, do the things we love, and make our choices today because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”

Sandra said her aunt’s passing “inspired me to take charge of my life.” She went back to finish college and now works full-time with OneLegacy.